Sighting apparatus for ordnance.



PATB'NTED JULY 21, 1903.

R BARNES.

: SIGHTING, APPARATUS FOR ORDNANGE;

APPLICATION F-ILEDAPB. 20, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

, wezzfar 807/266 $3 I d PATENTED JULY 21, 1903.

y R. BARNES SIGHTING APPARATUS FOR ORDNANGE.

, APPLIOATION FILED APR. 20, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

- I ava/Z507 ma non ETERK c0. momwmc, wAsHmm ON, (Av c UNITED STAT-Es 'Paeaed July 21, 1903.

PATENT OFFIC ROBERT BARNES, or BEXLEY HEATH, E GLAND, ASSIGNOR o vIeKERs SONS & MAXIM, LIMlTED, OF WESTMINSTER, ENGLAND.

SIGHTING APPARATUS FOR ORDNANCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters l atent no. 734,395, dated July 21, 1903. Application filed April 20, 1903; Serial No. 153,559. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.- Be it 'known that I, ROBERT CHARLES BARNES, engineer, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Heathurst, Pelham road, BeXley Heath, in the county of Kent, England, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements Relating to Sighting Apparatus forOrdnance, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention has particular reference to rear or tangent sights of the kind that are generally employed with machine-guns and in which the sight-carriage carrying the sighting-leaf is capable of vertical adjustment on the sight-bar for varying the angle of elevation to suit different ranges, this adjustment being effected'by the revolution of a pinion mounted on the said sight-carriage and en gaging with rack-teeth on the sight-bar. In this construction of tangent sight it is usual to provide a circular series of rack-teeth on the sightcarriage and a rocking pawl on the spindle of the pinion, one portion of which pawlis provided with a number of teeth engaging with the circular series of rack-teeth. A cap is also mounted on the end of said spindle and adapted to be turned by the gunners fingers to revolve the same for working thepinion' and elevating or depressing the sight-carriage The pawl is normally kept in engagement-- with the said circular series of rack-teeth by suitable proj eetions, so as to prevent the sightcarriage from being unintentionally shifted on the sight-bar-as,for instance, by the vibration due to the firing of the gun. WVhen, however, the gunner revolves the cap to shift the sight-carriage on the sight-bar, said projections cooperate with the pawl in such manner that it slides ever the circular series of rack- *siderable.

The chief object of my invention is to provide sights of the above-described kind with means which will enable large adjustments to be rapidly effected without any objection-able sound, said means being of such a nature that they can, if desired, be applied without difficultyto the sights at present'in use.

I accomplish my object by providing a device whereby the gunner can readily set the aforesaid pawl into a position of entiredisengagement with the aforesaid circular series of rack-teeth, so that the sight-carriage can be rapidly shifted up or down the sight-bar by merely pushing it in the required direction.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect,l will describe the same more fully, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 a sectional front elevation, of the sighting apparatus intended for use with aMaxiin R. C. gun and having my device applied thereto,

the parts being shown in the position they occupy when the device is set for enabling the sight-carriage to work in the usual way.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation, and Fig. i a sectional front elevation, of the said sighting apparatus with the aforesaid device set in position for enabling the sight to be adjusted noiselesslyfor large angles of elevation.

A is the sight-carriage, and B is the sightbar upon which it slides during adjustment. This sight bar is'of the ordinary well-known construction, having a l'ug B, by which it is pivotally connected with the gun, and rackteeth 13 with which engages the pinion A of the spindle A carried by the sight-carriage.

A is the circular series of rack-teeth with which' the sight-carriage is usuallyprovided, and A is the rocking pawl pivoted to the said spindle A one end of said pawl having teeth A Fig. i, to engage with'the circular series of rack-teeth A G is the cap, which is mounted loosely on the end of said spindle A O is the usual spring with which said cap is provided on its inner surface and between the free ends of which one end of the pawl lies.

The aforesaid device with which the sighting apparatus is provided, as aforesaid, comprises in the example illustrated a transversely-sliding piece D, which is slotted at d and attached to the outer face of the cap 0 by the screw 0 employed for securing said cap in place on the spindle A said screw passing through the aforesaid slot (2-. The end of the rocking pawl A remote from the teeth A is formed with the usual inclined groove or depression a, and the opposite end of said pawl is provided with a projection a,

which lies in a hole 0 in the cap 0. The end of the sliding piece adjacent to the said projection a has a recess (1 therein and the end of said sliding piece adjacent to the inclined groove or depression a is formed with an inwardly-projecting pin (1 that engages with said depression a. The sliding piece is also furnished with lugs or finger-pieces d d at its ends for enabling it to be readily shifted-into either of its extreme positions. (1 is a protuberance on the under side of the sliding piece, which.protuberance operates to retain the latter in either of its positions, the resiliency of the sliding piece enabling said protuberance to move over the face of the cap without undue impediment and yet with sufficient friction to insure that the sliding piece shall not become unintentionally shifted. When the sliding piece is shifted into the position represented in Figs. 1 and 2,-the end of the pawl bearing the teeth A is depressed by the sliding piece D acting on the projection a of the pawl, whereby the said teeth on the latter are caused to engage with the circular series of teeth A The turning of the cap 0 then enables the adjustment of the sightcarriage A to be effected in the usual manner through the intervention of the spring 0, the projection d and the inclined depression a, When the said sliding piece is shifted into the position represented by Figs. 2 and 3, the projection 61 operates to depress the adjacent end of the pawl, the opposite end thereof being permitted to riseby reason. of the hole 0 being uncovered by the said sliding piece and the projection a permitted to protrude therethrough. The teeth A of the pawl then lie out of engagement with the circular series of teeth A and consequently when the cap 0 is revolved it does so without the restraining effect due to the traveling of the teeth A of the pawl over the teeth A Consequently I am aware that it has before been proposed to effect large adjustments of sights of this kind by throwing the aforesaid pinion A out of gear with the rack-teeth on the sight-bar; but it will be seen from the foregoing description that I accomplish my object without disengaging the pinion from the rack, these parts remaining at all times in gear with each other.

lVhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In sighting apparatus of the kind hereinbefore set forth, the combination with the sight-carriage, the actuating-spindle thereof, the spring-controlled toothed rocking pawl, the circular series of rack-teeth on the sightcarriage and the rotary cap; of means for setting said rocking pawl into a position of disengagement with the circular series of rackteeth for the purpose specified.

2. In sighting apparatus of the kind hereinbefore set forth, the combination with the sight carriage, the actuating spindle, the spring-controlled toothed rocking pawl, the circular series of rack-teeth on the sight-carriage and the rotary cap; of a sliding piece carried by said cap, a projection on said sliding piece engaging with an inclined depression at one end of said pawl, and a projection on the opposite end of said pawl which is controlled by the movement of said sliding piece substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In sighting apparatus of the kind hereinbefore set forth, the combination with the sight carriage the actuating spindle, the spring-controlled toothed rocking pawl, the circular series of rack-teeth on the sight-carriage, and the rotary cap; of a slotted sliding piece carried by and moving rectilinearly on said cap, aprojection near one end of said sliding piece engaging with an inclined depression at one end of said pawl, a projection on the opposite end of said pawlwhich is controlled by said sliding piece, thumb-pieces at the ends of said sliding piece and a protuberance on the under side of the sliding piece for locking it in its extreme positions substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 7th day of April, 1903.

ROBERT BARNES.

\Vitnesses:

HENRY KING, ALFRED PEAKs. 

